editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Audie CornishTue, 08 Aug 2017 09:56:18 +0000Audie Cornishhttp://kios.org
Audie CornishFor the first time, a generation of children is going through adolescence with smartphones ever-present. Jean Twenge , a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, has a name for these young people born between 1995 and 2012: "iGen." She says members of this generation are physically safer than those who came before them. They drink less, they learn to drive later and they're holding off on having sex. But psychologically, she argues, they are far more vulnerable. "It's not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental health crisis in decades," she writes in a story in The Atlantic, adapted from her forthcoming book . And she says it's largely because of smartphones. Twenge spoke to All Things Considered about her research and her conclusions. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. How does teen behavior now differ from generations past? Today's teens are just not spending as much time with their friends in person, face-to-face,How Smartphones Are Making Kids Unhappyhttp://kios.org/post/how-smartphones-are-making-kids-unhappy
96623 as http://kios.orgMon, 07 Aug 2017 21:39:00 +0000How Smartphones Are Making Kids UnhappyAudie CornishFor students starting medical school, the first year can involve a lot of time in a lecture hall. There are hundreds of terms to master and pages upon pages of notes to take. But when the new class of medical students begins at the University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine next week, a lot of that learning won't take place with a professor at a lectern. The school has begun to phase out lectures in favor of what's known as "active learning" and plans to be done with lectures altogether by 2019. Ironically, the man leading the effort loves lectures. In fact, William Jeffries , a dean at the school, wrote the chapter on lectures in two prominent textbooks on medical education. But he's now convinced they're not the best way to learn. Jeffries spoke with All Things Considered about the thinking behind this move. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Why are lectures bad? Well, I wouldn't say that they're bad. The issue is that there is a lot of evidence thatVermont Medical School Says Goodbye To Lectureshttp://kios.org/post/vermont-medical-school-says-goodbye-lectures
96500 as http://kios.orgThu, 03 Aug 2017 20:57:00 +0000Vermont Medical School Says Goodbye To LecturesAudie CornishTwo summers ago, we met a woman who went by the name Teacup. "I'm an active heroin user," she told us. "Thirty-three years as a matter of fact." We were in West Baltimore, reporting on a citywide effort to stop a growing opioid crisis. On a street corner known for its open-air drug market, health workers trained anyone passing by on how to use naloxone , a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. They were trying to get naloxone kits into as many hands as possible. Teacup had stopped by the training to say hello to a veteran health worker and to pick up another kit. She was already well-versed in the use of naloxone, having administered it more than a dozen times, she estimated. She called herself a "doctor" but not because of her experience intervening in overdoses. It was because she was the go-to person in the neighborhood if you needed help getting high. "I can hit veins that most people can't," she explained at the time. "I'm not glorifying it, but they come to me because'That Fentanyl — That's Death': A Story Of Recovery In Baltimorehttp://kios.org/post/fentanyl-thats-death-story-recovery-baltimore
96497 as http://kios.orgThu, 03 Aug 2017 18:44:00 +0000'That Fentanyl — That's Death': A Story Of Recovery In BaltimoreAudie CornishCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: There's a massive move of Syrian refugees that started from northern Lebanon. Those refugees are actually going back to Syria. But this move of several thousand people shows how few safe choices there are for refugees. In the six years of the Syrian civil war, more than 10 million people have been displaced. NPR's Ruth Sherlock joins us now from Beirut. And Ruth, I understand several thousand people are on the move already, right? There's going to be about a hundred buses today. Is this really by choice? RUTH SHERLOCK, BYLINE: Well, it's a choice between some very bad options. We should say that this is not Syrians who are going back to Syria because they feel safe to do so. It's part of cease-fire deal, and that's taken place between Hezbollah and rebel groups that it's been fighting with these people in Lebanon. And these rebels - some of them are connected to al-Qaida. Hezbollah launched an attack here to clear these groupsThousands Of Syrian Refugees To Return From Lebanonhttp://kios.org/post/thousands-syrian-refugees-return-lebanon
96456 as http://kios.orgWed, 02 Aug 2017 20:15:00 +0000Thousands Of Syrian Refugees To Return From LebanonAudie CornishVenezuela's ongoing political and economic crisis has taken a toll on daily life there. A crash in oil prices and political instability under President Nicolas Maduro have led to food shortages, and that has prompted almost daily street protests by thousands of Venezuelans. A 35-year-old protester named Carlos tells NPR's Audie Cornish the food situation is "pretty extreme." NPR is using only his first name for his safety. "I cannot find basic food: no rice, no chicken. Fruits are very expensive. So what has really shocked me is that this past year, you can see on every street of the city, there is someone in the garbage looking for food," he says. Carlos had been a tour guide until the spring, when he joined the opposition protesters, which the government considers enemies of the state. With the collapse of the economy, Carlos says tourism has pretty much dried up. These days the protests in Caracas — Venezuela's capital — are practically his full-time job. As described by Carlos, theFor The Venezuelan Opposition, Protests Are 'Like A War'http://kios.org/post/venezuelan-opposition-protests-are-war
94895 as http://kios.orgFri, 23 Jun 2017 22:06:00 +0000For The Venezuelan Opposition, Protests Are 'Like A War'Audie CornishCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Numbers from the federal government today provide more detail about the extent of the nation's opioid crisis and who's affected. The report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality looks at how many people have been hospitalized for problems related to opioids. It shows a dramatic increase between 2005 and 2014. The rate of inpatient stays increased 64 percent during that time. The rate of emergency room visits increased 99 percent. Someone who sees the real-life side of these numbers is Traci Green. She is deputy director of the Injury Prevention Center at Boston Medical Center. Welcome to the program. TRACI GREEN: It's great to be here. CORNISH: Help us understand. We have the data, but what does this mean on a day-to-day basis for a place like Boston Medical Center? GREEN: Boston Medical Center is really lucky. They were early to see that our opioid crisis was something that they had the special capacity toDramatic Increase In Number Of People Being Hospitalized Due To Opioidshttp://kios.org/post/dramatic-increase-number-people-being-hospitalized-due-opioids
94756 as http://kios.orgTue, 20 Jun 2017 20:44:00 +0000Dramatic Increase In Number Of People Being Hospitalized Due To OpioidsAudie CornishSinger and multi-instrumentalist Krystle Warren has been compared to artists like Tracy Chapman and Nina Simone . The latter comparison is particularly intriguing: Not only does Warren share that icon's talent for evocative storytelling, but she also lives in France, as Simone once did. It's a long way from her native Kansas City, Mo., which Warren left in her early 20s to pursue her music career. On her forthcoming album Three The Hard Way , Warren pays tribute to her roots. Warren tells NPR's Audie Cornish that she has been feeling the pull of home more than ever. "When I'm home — and when I say home, [I mean] in the States, but specifically Kansas City — there's a part of me that's just invigorated, and feels very much a part of everyone and everything there. And then at some point there's the other half of me that really pulls to be back in France." Hear their full conversation at the audio link, and read on for highlights. Interview Highlights On her song "Red Clay," about theFrom Paris With Love: A Kansas City Musician Gets Distance And Perspectivehttp://kios.org/post/paris-love-kansas-city-musician-gets-distance-and-perspective
93750 as http://kios.orgThu, 25 May 2017 22:38:00 +0000From Paris With Love: A Kansas City Musician Gets Distance And PerspectiveAudie CornishCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: We want to update you now on an ongoing story - an attack on a pop concert in Manchester, England. Police there Report 19 dead, another 50 or so injured. The explosions took place just outside the arena where an American pop singer, Ariana Grande, had just finished performing. Earlier we spoke with Andy Bounds of the Financial Times about what more police are saying about this incident which they say they are treating as a terrorist attack. ANDY BOUNDS: They still haven't confirmed it definitely, but it seems very, very likely, especially as they've just carried out another whole explosion on a suspected device near the scene of the incident. CORNISH: As you said, it's the second controlled detonation that they've done. Can you talk about where they think these explosions took place? It wasn't inside the concert hall. BOUNDS: No, that's right. There's only one we know of, and that was about probably 300 or 400 yards away in aReporter: Blast Hit Arena Full Of Young Girls At U.S. Pop Star's Concerthttp://kios.org/post/reporter-blast-hit-arena-full-young-girls-us-pop-stars-concert
93592 as http://kios.orgTue, 23 May 2017 01:51:00 +0000Reporter: Blast Hit Arena Full Of Young Girls At U.S. Pop Star's ConcertAudie CornishThe Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is one of a handful of dystopian novels that have seen a boost in sales since the 2016 election. The book tells the story of what happens when a theocratic dictatorship takes over the government and gets rid of women's rights. In 2016, Atwood told us that the idea started as a question: "If you want women to go back into the home, how do you make them do that? And the method I proposed in 1985 was, now that we have credit cards, it's very easy to just cut off people's access to credit. And that's what happens in the book." That's also the premise of the TV adaptation of the book, now streaming on Hulu. In the imaginary Republic of Gilead, women are not allowed to own property or have bank accounts, and because of widespread infertility, those who have successfully had children are assigned to be Handmaids — bearing children for the rich and powerful. "It was very important to us from the very beginning to make sure that people understood that this'The Handmaid's Tale' Wants You To Feel Like 'This Could Happen Here'http://kios.org/post/handmaids-tale-wants-you-feel-could-happen-here
92507 as http://kios.orgWed, 26 Apr 2017 22:23:00 +0000'The Handmaid's Tale' Wants You To Feel Like 'This Could Happen Here'Audie CornishMassachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been at the forefront of progressive politics over the last year. She has sparred with President Trump on Twitter, and she was reprimanded by Republicans on the Senate floor earlier this year. Now she has written a new book, This Fight Is Our Fight: The Battle To Save America's Middle Class . Warren tells All Things Considered that she sees Trump's rise as part of a larger narrative of economic inequality in this country. She argues that the government's lack of investment in the middle class created the conditions "where Donald Trump could deliver the knockout blow." "Are we just going to let Donald Trump and these Republicans in Washington just totally turn our government over to those with money and power?" Warren asks. "The rich and the powerful have been running our government for about 35 years now, and they have really made it work great for those at the top — for everyone else, not so much so. What I argue in this book is it is time forSen. Elizabeth Warren's Call To Action: 'This Fight' Will Take Everybodyhttp://kios.org/post/sen-elizabeth-warrens-call-action-fight-will-take-everybody
92179 as http://kios.orgTue, 18 Apr 2017 22:51:00 +0000Sen. Elizabeth Warren's Call To Action: 'This Fight' Will Take EverybodyAudie CornishA few years ago, Chimamanda Adichie received a message from a childhood friend asking for advice: She wanted to know how to raise her newborn daughter to be a feminist. For Adichie — a best-selling author who has also made a name for herself as a leading feminist voice — the question was a bit daunting, but she wrote a long letter back to her friend. Now, that letter has been published as a book. It's called Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions , and it talks about everything from how to choose toys to teaching self-reliance to challenging traditional gender roles. Adichie says writing the letter was useful for her, too. "Yes, I wrote it for my friend, but I think to a large extent it was also my way of mapping out my own thinking. Because I have talked a lot about these things and I care very much about them and I get very passionate ... but I realized I didn't actually have a concrete map of the particular, specific things that I think will help if we do themHow Do You Raise A Feminist Daughter? Chimamanda Adichie Has 15 Suggestionshttp://kios.org/post/how-do-you-raise-feminist-daughter-chimamanda-adichie-has-15-suggestions
90394 as http://kios.orgFri, 03 Mar 2017 21:46:00 +0000How Do You Raise A Feminist Daughter? Chimamanda Adichie Has 15 SuggestionsAudie CornishDemocrat Michelle Frankard of Wisconsin voted for President Trump, and she's hoping she won't regret it. At the Garden of Eatin', a bustling diner in picturesque Galesville, Frankard is having breakfast with her adopted father, Ken Horton. A dozen shiny electric guitars line the walls, each next to a black-and-white framed poster with the likes of Johnny Cash and Janis Joplin. The deep-seated booths host a variety of regulars and those just passing through. Frankard, a 53-year-old mother of two, voted twice for Obama before choosing Trump during last year's election. She says Obama lost her vote because of big spending. Trump won it with his talk of law and order and the promise of bringing more jobs. But she is worried. "He said he was going to do better for us, but he's not really doing it, is he?" she says. "That's a disappointment, and it also puts fear in people because they are thinking, well, what is next? Are we going to lose our Social Security? ... Are we going to be endingWill Trump Democrats In Wisconsin Swing Back To Their Party?http://kios.org/post/will-trump-democrats-wisconsin-swing-back-their-party
90010 as http://kios.orgWed, 22 Feb 2017 21:28:00 +0000Will Trump Democrats In Wisconsin Swing Back To Their Party?Audie CornishIf you've been watching the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on TV, you've probably seen it happen a few times already: Every few minutes, a fresh wave of brightly colored signs — bearing campaign slogans like "Stronger Together" or "Love Trumps Hate" — spreads across the convention floor like wildfire. Shelly Loos is in charge of floor operations for the DNC. And it's her job to oversee the timing and distribution of the 300,000 to 400,000 signs at the convention, and the some 200 "runners" — volunteers running up and down the aisles handing out stacks of signs to delegates. Unlike when Loos was a runner in 1992 — and the volunteers communicated via radio — Loos gives the "go" via mass text to "captains." Her gig isn't without peril. This week supporters of Bernie Sanders showed their frustration by striking out Hillary Clinton's name or otherwise defacing the placards. "I don't love it," she says, adding that "this is a convention and we accept other people's views."At The Democratic Convention, Choreographing A Sea Of Signshttp://kios.org/post/democratic-convention-choreographing-sea-signs
82252 as http://kios.orgThu, 28 Jul 2016 21:40:00 +0000At The Democratic Convention, Choreographing A Sea Of SignsAudie CornishCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR .What's Next For Delegates For Bernie Sanders?http://kios.org/post/whats-next-delegates-bernie-sanders
82086 as http://kios.orgMon, 25 Jul 2016 20:17:00 +0000What's Next For Delegates For Bernie Sanders?Audie CornishAcross the U.S., more than 20 million people abuse drugs or alcohol or both. Only about 1 in 10 is getting treatment . People seeking treatment often have to wait weeks or months for help. The delays can jeopardize the chances they'll be able to recover from their addiction. In Baltimore, Health Commissioner Leana Wen has been pushing for treatment on demand, so that the moment people decide they're ready for help, it's available. It's something other health officials have sought to achieve, without success. The need for quick access to treatment came into focus for us when we caught up with Andrea Towson, whom we first met last September . Towson, known in her West Baltimore neighborhood as Teacup, has used heroin on and off for more than 30 years. She considers herself an active user. By mid-December, she was looking to change that. "For the new year, I want to be in treatment," she says. With the help of health department outreach worker Nathan Fields , Towson was able to get anCan Baltimore Provide Addiction Treatment On Demand? http://kios.org/post/can-baltimore-provide-addiction-treatment-demand
75870 as http://kios.orgWed, 24 Feb 2016 21:38:00 +0000Can Baltimore Provide Addiction Treatment On Demand? Audie CornishIf you took a map of Chicago and put down a tack for each person shot last year, you'd need nearly 3,000 tacks. Of those, 101 would be clustered in the neighborhood of East Garfield Park. That's where 15-year-old Jim Courtney-Clarks lives. "To be honest, I really don't like it," Courtney-Clarks says. "Every time you look up somebody else is getting killed, and I never know if it's me or somebody I am really close to." For kids in some Chicago neighborhoods, walking up and down the same street where there was a beating or a shooting or a body is just part of life — one that isn't always talked about. That's something the Urban Warriors program is trying to change. The YMCA of Metro Chicago project connects kids like Courtney-Clarks, who live in high-violence neighborhoods, with veterans who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan and who might understand what they're going through. The program is built on the idea that these kids are experiencing trauma and need to process it , and thatChicago Teens And Combat Veterans Join Forces To Process Traumahttp://kios.org/post/chicago-teens-and-combat-veterans-join-forces-process-trauma
74586 as http://kios.orgMon, 25 Jan 2016 21:22:00 +0000Chicago Teens And Combat Veterans Join Forces To Process TraumaAudie CornishThe protests in Chicago have been mostly peaceful. But it's not just about police. This is all happening against a backdrop of gang violence, including the recent killing of a 9-year-old boy who police say was apparently targeted because of his father's alleged gang ties. These incidents are forcing difficult conversations between parents and kids. And for African-American families, the conversation hits close to home. How do you talk about what's happening? How do you reassure your kids? And how do you keep them safe? We visited with two families at the beginning and end of a busy school day to find out. Our first stop: the neighborhood of West Chatham on Chicago's South Side. That's where we met the Johnson family. It's 6:45 a.m., and Shango Johnson is waking up his 9-year-old son, Brendan. With his long dreadlocks, high cheekbones, and quick movements, Shango Johnson is catlike as he moves up and down the stairs. He and his wife, Karen, start breakfast and their son, Brendan, comesAmid Violence, Chicago Parents Try To Inoculate Their Sons Against Fearhttp://kios.org/post/amid-violence-chicago-parents-try-inoculate-their-sons-against-fear
72855 as http://kios.orgThu, 10 Dec 2015 22:29:00 +0000Amid Violence, Chicago Parents Try To Inoculate Their Sons Against FearAudie CornishEvery Thursday night you can find Nathan Fields making the rounds of Baltimore's red light district, known to locals as The Block. An outreach worker with the Baltimore City Health Department, Fields, 55, is a welcome sight outside strip clubs like Circus, Club Harem and Jewel Box. In the early evening before the clubs get busy, he talks with dancers, bouncers and anyone else passing by about preventing drug overdoses and how to stop the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Later on, he'll drop into the clubs to check on the dancers who aren't able to come outside, finding out what they might need. Fields has credibility on The Block that people higher up in the health department don't. "I watch him walk down any street in Baltimore city, and people come up to him, and they know that he is there to serve them," says his boss, Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen. It wasn't always so easy. Seven years ago, Fields was working with the city's needle exchange program. AfterPitching Health Care In Baltimore's Red Light Districthttp://kios.org/post/ex-addict-pitches-health-care-baltimores-red-light-district
71532 as http://kios.orgTue, 10 Nov 2015 20:59:00 +0000Pitching Health Care In Baltimore's Red Light DistrictAudie CornishA suspected case of measles. A rabid fox on the loose. A recall of a dye used in tattoos. A drug epidemic that's claiming hundreds of lives. Those are just a few of the problems that Dr. Leana Wen confronts in a typical week as the Baltimore City Health Commissioner. While they all have to be dealt with, it's clear that heroin is among Wen's gravest concerns. Right now, she's focused on stopping overdoses and saving lives. There were 104 overdose deaths in Baltimore during the first quarter of 2015, a 49 percent increase over the 70 reported during the same period in 2014. As chair of a committee that has a state mandate to review every fatal drug and alcohol overdose, Wen hears about each and every overdose victim in the city. Each month, the health department, police department, and other agencies that are part of the committee conduct a detailed examination of every death. "These are difficult meetings to attend," Wen says. "You're literally hearing about a person's life, seeingBaltimore Fights Heroin Overdoses With Antidote Outreachhttp://kios.org/post/baltimore-fights-heroin-overdoses-antidote-outreach
68798 as http://kios.orgWed, 09 Sep 2015 19:54:00 +0000Baltimore Fights Heroin Overdoses With Antidote OutreachAudie CornishIn today's crowded TV landscape, the casting director's job is no small thing. And that talent will be honored at the Emmy Awards next month. Jennifer Euston, who has been in the casting business for two decades, has been nominated this year for outstanding casting for a comedy series and for a drama series. "I get the script, I read it, I break it down. Anyone who has a speaking part is my responsibility," she says. "Even if the person says, 'Hi' — one word." Euston's first gig was on Law and Order . In recent years, she's been at the top of her game, crafting Emmy-nominated casts for shows like HBO's Veep and Girls . Her most decorated show right now is Orange Is the New Black on Netflix. It's a women's prison comedy and drama that tells the story of not just its heroine — an upper-middle-class New Yorker locked up on an old drug charge — but also of the diverse group of women around her. On a different show, these actresses would likely have been relegated to bit parts — maid,Award-Winning Casting Director Says Diversity Isn't A Trend, It's Evolutionhttp://kios.org/post/award-winning-casting-director-says-diversity-isnt-trend-its-evolution
68162 as http://kios.orgTue, 25 Aug 2015 23:19:00 +0000Award-Winning Casting Director Says Diversity Isn't A Trend, It's Evolution